Electrical clamps



March 5, 1957 w. A. MORIARTY ET AL ELECTRICAL CLAMPS Filed Aug. 10, 1953 INVENTORS WALLACE A. MORIARTY BERT N. HENRY 197 TUBA E) United States Patent O ELECTRICAL CLAMPS Wallace A. Moriarty, Overland, and Bert N. Henry, St.

Anns, Mo., assignors to James R. Kearney Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application August 10, 1953, Serial No. 373,378

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-263) This invention relates generally to electrical clamps and more specifically to electricalclamps of the type known in the industry as tap-olfclamps and which are adapted to connect tap wires, and other conductors to, power lines, the predominant object of the invention being to provide an improved clamp of the type referred to which because of its improved construction and arrangement is capable of performing its intended function in an improved and highly eflicient manner.

Fig. l is a perspective view of the improved clamp of this invention, showing same in association with a power line and a lead conductor.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the clamp shown in Fig. 1.

Fig 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the clamp shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the clamp of this invention drawn to a reduced scale and showing the clamp as it appears when being assembled for use.

In the drawings, wherein are shown for purposes of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates generally the tap-off connector illustrated by Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. The tap-off connector A comprises a member B which is fixed mechanically and electrically to a power line P, or other conductor, and a clamp C which has mechanically and electrically connected thereto a tap wire, or other electrical conductor T (Figs. 1 and 5). The members B and C are formed of electrical conductive material, and the member B is in the form of a plate 1 which when in use is disposed in a substantially vertical position, said plate having projected outwardly therefrom in opposite directions a pair of integral extensions 2 and 3 which are channel-shape in cross-section and are open toward the rear of the connector A, as is shown to good advantage in Figs. 2 and 3. At its upper end the plate 1 of the member B is provided with a recess 4 having convergent side walls merging into a rounded bottom wall, and also said plate has formed thereon arms 5 and 6 which extend outwardly and upwardly from opposed, upper side edges of said plate (Fig. 1). The plate 1 of the member B additionally is provided with a pair of forwardly projected lugs 7 and 8, said lugs being located at the lower end of said plate at opposite sides thereof and said lugs preferably, though not necessarily, are formed integral with the plate. The member B is secured to the power line P by passing the channel-shape extensions 2. and 3 thereof onto said power line so as to cause said power line to pass through said channel-shape extensions. A hand tool is then employed to crimp the extensions 2 and 3 tightly about portions of the power line so as to make very close mechanical engagement and intimate electrical connection between the extensions 2 and 3 and the power line P.

The clamp C comprises a body portion which includes a flat plate portion 9 from the lower end of which an extension 10 is projected downwardly and forwardly, as is shown to good advantage in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. This extension is of the same channel-shape cross-sectional shape as the extensions 2 and 3, the channel opening up wardly and outwardly, as is shown to good advantage in Fig. 3. The clamp C includes a washer 11 which is supported by the plate portion 9 for limited relative movement, said plate portion 9 being provided at its upper end with spaced, rearwardly extended projections 12 having upwardly projected, rear end portions 12', the rearwardly extended extensions 12 being projected through notches 13 formed in the washer 11, and the upwardly projected rear end portions 12 serving to prevent disengagement of the upper portion of the washer 11 from the upper portion of the plate portion 9 while permitting translatory movement of washer 11 between a position whereat it engages up-turned portions 12' and a position closer to the flat plate portion 9.

The plate portion 9 and washer 11 are spaced apart to provide therebetween a space approximately as wide as the thickness of the plate portion 1 of the member B, and said plate portion 9 and washer 11 have formed therethrough openings through which the shank of a bolt 14 is extended. The bolt 14 is provided with a head 14' whose inner face contacts with the rear face of the washer 11 and the forward, screwthreaded portion of the bolt shank has mounted thereon a nut 15 which is provided with an eye 15'. It is to be noted that the bolt opening through the washer 11 of the clamp C is noncircular, and that the portion 14 of the bolt shank which is disposed in said noncircular opening is of corresponding noncircular shape. Because of this arrangement there is no likelihood that the bolt will rotate in response to rotation of the nut 15. v

In order to retain the bolt 14 in its proper position relative to the other parts of clamp C, washer 11 is provided with a lip 16 which extends upwardly and engages the rear face of the head of said bolt. This lip is made by forming spaced slits in the rearwardly and downwardly extended lower end portion 11 of the washer 11 and bending the material located between said slits, upwardly to provide the lip 16. Also, the nut 15 is provided with an enlarged, annular end portion 15 and a lip 17 is formed at the top of the plate 9, said lip being so positioned that it serves as an abutment which will be engaged by the enlarged end portion 15 of the nut 15 to prevent excessive unscrewing and, forward movement of the nut on the screwthreaded forward portion of the shank of the bolt 14. The lip 17 is provided by forming a U- shaped slit in the top portion of the plate 9, and by bending the material freed by the formation of the slit into position to provide said lip 17. It is the formation of the lip 17 that causes the portions 12 of plate 9 to be spaced apart as is stated above. As is shown to good advantage in Fig. 1, the tap wire or other conductor T is connected mechanically and electrically to the clamp C by disposing an end portion thereof in the extension 19 and by crimping portions of said extension about said conductor portion.

in the use of the improved tap-01f connector A of Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the member B being secured to the power line P and the tap wire T being connected to the clamp C, the clamp C is elevated to a point slightly higher than the member B, as is shown in Fig. 5. The clamp C is then moved downwardly with respect to the member B and in such relative position thereto that the plate portion 1 of the member B is disposed between the plate portion 9 and washer 11 of the clamp C. When the shank of the bolt 14, which moves downwardly with the clamp C, contacts with the rounded bottom of the recess 4 of the plate portion 1 of the member B, the assembly has been completed and the nut 15 is then drawn up on the bolt to very securely fix the clamp C and member B together, and thus provide a good electrical path from the power line P to the tap wire T. It is to be noted Patented Mar. 5, 1957 that the lugs 7 and 8, between which the lower end portion of the plate portion 9 oi the clamp C is disposed, prevent any rotary movement of the clamp C about the bolt 14, Also, the arms 5 and 6 aid in the assembly of the clamp C with respect to the member B by guiding and centering said clamp C with respect to the member B. By providing for limited movement of the washer 11 with respect to the plate portion 9 of the clamp C the application of said clamp C to the plate portion 1 of the member B is greatly facilitated.

We claim:

In a tap-off connector of the type having a member provided with a channel part for crimped engagement about a main conductor and a plate extending in a direction substantially radially with respect to the main conductor for reception of a clamp carrying a branch conductor, said plate having a generally V-shaped slot converging toward said part from the extremity of said plate remote from said part, said clamp being releasably engageable with said member and having a bolt disposed for reception in said slot; the improvement which comprises, said clamp having a plate provided with a part for crimped engagement with a branch conductor and having a surface for contiguous engagement with said member adjacent the slot therein, said plate being bent into substantially offset relationship with said surface at the end thereof remote from its crimping part, a bolt extending through an opening in said plate at said surface, a washer on said bolt, said washer being slideably connected with the offset portion of said plate for translatory movement toward and away from said surface in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of said bolt, said washer being flared away from said surface at a position on the opposite side of said bolt from its slideable connection with said plate, a nut on said bolt, and means on said plate and washer for preventing substantial movement of said nut and bolt axially relative to said plate and washer respectively, whereby said clamp may be freely applied to the projection on said member with the plate of said clamp on one side of the plate of said member and the washer of said clamp on the other side thereof and with said bolt extending through the V-shaped slot in the plate member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,500,499 Johnson July 8, 1924 1,521,903 Mueller Jan. 6, 1925 1,630,166 Catlin May 24, 1927 2,582,267 Moore Jan. 15, 1952 

